1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable device and further relates to a concentrator for performing data transmission and reception and/or power feeding relative to the portable device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, portable devices which can be used as terminals of a host computer have been widely available. These portable devices are used, for example, for managing schedules, inputting and outputting various data on business, inputting data thereinto from the host computer or feeding data therefrom into the host computer.
FIGS. 13-17 are diagrams showing one of the conventional portable devices, wherein FIG. 13 is a plan view of the conventional portable device with a cover 3 thereof being closed, FIG. 14 is a plan view of the conventional portable device with the cover 3 being opened, FIG. 15 is a plan view showing a hinge mechanism 4 for coupling the cover 3 to a portable device body 1 in the conventional portable device, FIG. 16 is a sectional view taken along line A--A in FIG. 15 for showing a coupling portion of the conventional hinge mechanism 4, and FIG. 17 is a front view for explaining an assembled state of the conventional hinge mechanism 4.
The conventional portable device includes the portable device body 1, a touch panel 2 provided on the surface of the device body 1, and the cover 3 pivotally coupled to the device body 1 so as to cover the touch panel 2 when it is closed and uncover the touch panel 2 when it is opened. The cover 3 is in the form of an opaque plate so that the whole display portion formed by the touch panel 2 is covered by the cover 3 when it is closed. The cover 3 is coupled to the device body 1 via the hinge mechanism 4. The hinge mechanism 4 includes the cover 3 and a hinge strip 5 coupled to the cover 3. At a coupling portion of the cover 3 is provided a recessed portion 6 for receiving therein the hinge strip 5 in a nearly tight fashion. Further, holes 7 are formed on opposite inner surfaces of the cover 3 defining therebetween the recessed portion 6, respectively, while corresponding projections 8 are provided on opposite end surfaces of the hinge strip 5 so as to be fitted into the holes 7, respectively. For coupling the cover 3 and the hinge strip 5, the hinge strip 5 is first brought into the recessed portion 6 of the cover 3 and then slightly bent as shown in FIG. 17 and, after matching positions of the projections 8 and the holes 7, the deformation of the hinge strip 5 is released to allow the projections 8 to be fitted into the corresponding holes 7, respectively. In this manner, the cover 3 is pivotally mounted or attached to the device body 1 to cover and uncover the touch panel 2. As appreciated, the hinge strip 5 is fixed to the device body 1.
However, in the foregoing conventional portable device, when a user wishes to see the contents displayed on the touch panel 2 or input a command via the touch panel 2, it is always necessary to open the cover 3, which is somewhat troublesome. Further, in the manufacturing process of the portable device, a certain large power as well as a delicate power adjustment are required for a worker to deform or bend the hinge strip 5 so that it is difficult to mount or attach the cover 3 to the device body 1 smoothly in a short time.